KANSAS CITY, MO. (AP) Federal officials used last week's guilty plea by a former Jackson County (Missouri) Circuit Court administrator as a springboard to announce a new telephone hotline people can call to report public corruption. Former adminstrator Teresa York pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of mail fraud, admitting that she used credit cards issued by the court for nearly $78,000 in unauthorized purchases. Her corruption case is one of several in Kansas and Missouri in recent months, and FBI special agent Michael Kaste say they show why the public's help is needed to weed out official misdeeds. Kaste, U.S. Attorney Barry Brissom in Kansas, and U.S. Attorney Tammy Dickinson in Missouri held a joint news conference Thursday to announce the hotline. The hotline's number is 1-855-KCPCTIP or 1-855-427-2847.
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